Care and Maintenance, Cleaning Eyepiece Lenses

Note About Astro-imaging

The SkyQuest XX14i IntelliScope Truss Tube Dobsonian is designed for visual, not imaging, use. The Dobsonian mount is not an equatorial-type mount, and is not motor driven for long exposure astro-imaging. The telescope has also been optically optimized for visual use, since photographic optimi- zation degrades visual performance.

With that in mind, however, it is possible to do some simple astro-imaging with the XX14i. With the use of afocal imaging techniques (where the camera is simply held to the eyepiece to take a picture) and digital cameras, it is possible to capture images of bright objects. Certain imaging accessories, such as the Orion SteadyPix, can help in obtaining images by the afocal method.

6. Care and Maintenance

If you give your telescope reasonable care, it will last a life- time. Store it in a clean, dry, dust-free place, safe from rapid changes in temperature and humidity. Do not store the tele- scope outdoors, although storage in a garage or shed is okay. The telescope can be stored assembled or disassembled, but be sure to keep the dust covers on the telescope when not in use. We highly recommend storing the optical tube sec- tions in the optional case set for the XX14i. Small components like eyepieces and other accessories should be kept in an optional accessory case.

Your XX14i requires very little mechanical maintenance. The optical tube is steel and has a painted finish that is fairly scratch-resistant. If a scratch does appear on the tube, it will not harm the telescope. Smudges on the tube or base can be wiped off with a soft cloth and household cleaning fluid.

Cleaning Eyepiece Lenses

Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens clean- ing fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces or find- er scope. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses. Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, however, blow any loose particles off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air. Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics. Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily fingerprints and smudges may be removed using this method. Use caution; rubbing too hard may scratch the lens. For larger lenses, clean only a small area at a time using a fresh lens tissue on each area. Never reuse cleaning tissues.

Cleaning Mirrors

You should not have to clean the telescope’s mirrors very often; normally once every few years or so. Covering the tele- scope with the dust covers when it is not in use will prevent dust from accumulating on the mirrors. Improper cleaning can scratch mirror coatings, so the fewer times you have to clean the mirrors, the better. Small specks of dust or debris have virtually no adverse effect on the visual performance of the

telescope. The large primary mirror and the elliptical second- ary mirror of your telescope are front surface aluminized and over-coated with hard silicon dioxide, which prevents the alu- minum from oxidizing. These coatings normally last through many years of use before requiring re-coating.

To clean the secondary mirror, you will need to remove it from the telescope. Before doing so, remove the upper tube section from the assembled telescope. Hold the secondary mirror stationary while loosening the center Phillips-head screw. Handle the mirror by its edge; avoid touching the mirror surface itself. Once the mirror (still in its holder) is removed from the tube, follow the same procedure described below for cleaning the primary mirror. You do not need to remove the secondary mirror from its holder when cleaning.

To clean the mirrors, you’ll need the following:

•A sink or tub big enough to hold the mirror

•Distilled water, 1 gallon

•Squeeze bottle

•A little dishwashing liquid

•100% isopropyl alcohol (optional)

•Cotton balls

•Soft towel

To clean the primary mirror, you must carefully remove the end ring and mirror support assembly from the telescope. To do this, remove the screws on the side of the tube near the rear end ring. Then remove the collimation screws on the bot- tom of the mirror cell. This will allow the end ring to be sepa- rated from the mirror support structure, which is attached to the mirror itself.

1.Fill a clean sink or tub – not a bath tub but rather a small- er plastic tub or bin – with room-temperature water, a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent, and if possible a capful of 100% isopropyl alcohol.

2.With the mirror still in its support cell but with the rear end ring removed, grasp the mirror cell and hold the mirror upside-down. Submerge the aluminized face of the mir- ror in the solution and gently swish it around for a minute or so.

3.Now remove the mirror from the water and keep it tilted for a few seconds to allow the water to drain off.

4.For the next steps you might want to prop the mirror at a slight angle on your work surface so that water will run off and not collect in the middle.

5.To help dislodge any remaining particulate matter, use a squeeze bottle filled with water to spray a “jet” of water across the mirror surface.

6.Now you’re going to use wet cotton balls to clean the mirror. Dump out the solution used in the above steps, rinse the tub, then refill it (or a smaller container, since we won’t be immersing the mirror in it this time) with new solution following the same recipe. This will ensure that no particles that came off the mirror in the previous steps